A Number of Injured as Rough Air Strikes Delta Plane into Sydney

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta jet from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they treated five individuals, and transported a trio to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the representative added, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Paramedics reported they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a jet going through disturbed air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As climate change modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.